Scars
by dulcetirony
Summary: She's broken, he's bent, but little by little they will mend. "Seeing her was just bittersweet, really."
1. Today I Meet What Was Once My Future

**Disclaimer**

_If I owned Naruto I wouldn't be sitting here writing fanfiction._

Temari sits, cross legged, on the tatami in front of her mirror, pulling her hair into two, then brushing out her fringe. She's in Konoha, for a mission report to Tsunade, delivering a scroll to her. She clips on her fan to her back and heads out of the inn, closing the door behind her. Heading to the street, she lets out a sigh. It's her last day here, and after meeting Tsunade, she'd be back in Suna, where she feels the most comfortable.

She makes her way to the Hokage building, taking in the once familiar surroundings. Some things have changed since the fourth war, but it's still recognisable. All the memories she's made here is deep in her, but she's hurrying to leave as soon as she's done. She doesn't even want to stop to meet her friends. Two days is too long to be here, and the pain is too hard to bear. As she is daydreaming, she's not concentrating on where she's walking, and bumps into a man muttering under his breath, carrying two bags of groceries.

"I'm so sorry, I was-" Temari starts to apologise, and the man looks up. Her breath catches in her throat. He's someone she knows. So well, like the back of her finger. His fit but slouched stature, his black dark hair combed into a ponytail, his deep, intense gaze. He looks haggard, but apart from that, hasn't changed one bit.

He seems equally surprised to see her, and they stand there for a moment, not saying anything. They haven't met for two years, and he's the exact person she's trying to avoid.

"Shikamaru?" Disbelief is laced in her voice.

He doesn't look her in the eyes. "Temari-san. We've not met in a long time. How are you?"

She scorns inwardly. What a useless waste of honourifics, considering he was once her fiancé.

"I'm fine. I'm in a hurry. Goodbye." A wave of mixed feelings washes over her as she hurries to the Hokage building.

...

"Tsunade-sama, I will be leaving for Suna now," Temari says to a very distracted Tsunade who's face had every inch of irritation written on it. She looks up.

"No. You will not. This is a heavily encrypted letter that has just been deciphered by the Cryptanalysis Division. It is from the Kazekage."

Temari immediately panics. "Is Gaara alright?"

Tsunade waves her off. "Yes, yes, I'm sure he's fine. It's you we are all worried about. You are ordered to stay here in Konoha until further orders are received."

"May I ask why, Tsunade-sama?" Worry spreads through her.

"Remember a suitor you had last month? The son of a fire daimyo you turned down?" Temari nods. He was an arrogant man, his intents of making her the perfect wife blatantly shown when they met. "He's contacted Gaara for your hand in marriage, and according to the laws he has no right to turn the offer down because it is beneficial for the country and because refusing the son of a daimyo would cause noticeable damage to the country's alliance."

Temari looks down. "I have to marry him?"

"I have not finished. The Kazekage does not want to wed you off to him because he is suspected to have been involved in illegal weaponry trading, he does not have a good reputation and most importantly, you are his sister. So, the alternative is for you to already have a husband. A husband in your country does not counter the laws of a marriage as beneficial as his, so you will have to marry someone with as much status as his, a person who does not live in the same village as you, so that this marriage will be of the same status as his proposed offer."

Temari sighs. "An arranged marriage, then?"

Tsunade nods. "Temari, I'm sorry. I know every young woman wants to wed because of love, but because of this situation, we have no choice. Even so, the marriage has to last for only one year for the alliance to be permanent, and after that, whatever happens to the marriage will be void. I hope you consider."

Temari looks up. "It's a sacrifice all of us are trained to make, Hokage-sama. I will accept this. Who is the suitable counterpart for this?"

Tsunade hands her a piece of paper. "These are the compiled names, and as you can see, there are only two people. You see, Temari, the conditions needed are that they have to be from a respectable clan, they need to have enough status in the village to form a strong enough alliance between the two villages, and they are to be at least Jonin ranked. They also need to have been of enough help to your country. These are the only two people that fit the criteria, and I'm afraid our Intel Division head already has a fiancée.

Temari stares at the paper for a good while, taking in the information. The paper only had two names. Hyuga Neji, Intel Division Head, and Nara Shikamaru, Council Advisor.

"Shikamaru?" Temari asks, her disbelief controlled and only slightly tinting her voice.

"Yes. Both are eligible and around the same age as you. They are the only ones that have enough records to hold a stable alliance between Suna and Konoha, because of the incident when the Akatsuki captured the Kazekage." Temari shudders at the thought, where Gaara had almost died. Even so, she pulls her thoughts back and tries to focus on her current situation.

"If Neji is engaged, that leaves Shikmaru. We only have to stay married for a year, then we can separate ?" Temari slides the paper back to Tsunade across the oaken table.

"That is, if he consents. He is being called here and will arrive shortly." Right on cue, as if he had heard what she had said, a knock is heard. The famed tactician of the Nara clan enters.

If he's surprised at her presence, he doesn't show it. In fact, he ignores her, acting like he would have if she had just been a gust of wind - a flinch. "Tsunade-sama?"

"Shikamaru, we have something to discuss. Temari, if you would kindly wait outside for a moment..." Temari nods and quietly makes her way out, standing outside the huge doors. Hushed irritated voices are heard, and Temari has a feeling an intense argument is going on.

After five minutes, but to Temari what seemed like an eternity, Shikamaru pushes the door open. "Come in. Tsunade-sama wants to see you." She takes a moment to study his face, curious and afraid to see what his reaction would be, but he remains expressionless.

Tsunade nods as she enters. "It's final. He has agreed, and by the end of the term you are free to leave him. We have to settle the paperwork, and you will get your belongings sent here from Suna."

Temari is defiant. "I will make the trip myself."

"As you wish. You are dismissed."

**A/N** This is something I've wanted to write for a long time, but I haven't really worked out the rest of the storyline. I do have a few chapters written out, so if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to contact me! Reviews make my day!


	2. Today Fate Condemns Us

**Song Recommendation : Rainy Day, Naruto Road To Ninja OST **

The next few days passes in a blur, because of the amount of things that need to be done. Temari travels to Suna to collect her belongings and to settle affairs with her brothers and her mentor, while Shikamaru signs endless paperwork to officiate the marriage. No ceremony. No dress. Just a letter to their friends and family writing to tell them of the matter they were in. He feels bitter and guilty, remorseful thoughts flitting through his head. All the careful preparations trying to avoid her, and he ends up marrying her? For legal issues nonetheless?

Temari sits on the floor next to her small drawer, pulling minimal clothing from it and folding it up on a cloth. As she removes a kimono from her drawer, a small envelope falls out. Her breath catches. It's a letter she should have burnt, but instead she kept it. She couldn't bring herself to throw it. So many sleepless, crying nights, all because of this letter. So many bad memories. She gently flips the envelope open, and its contents fall out.

A ring. It's tiny, fitting perfectly on her ring finger. A tiny diamond is encrusted in the middle, two silver pieces holding it in place. She fingers the ring aimlessly for a moment before picking up the letter that has fallen out. Flipping the folded piece of paper open, she reads its contents, words she has already long ago memorised.

_Temari, I'm leaving. I'm sorry. _Short, to the point, it represents his personality. It's not written in his usual sloppy handwriting, but instead in a somewhat firm, somewhat shaky print. There are dark splotches over the paper, the remnants of the many tears she had shed.

Filled with anguish, she slips the ring and the letter back into the envelope, placing it with her bundle of clothes. Trying to forget about it, she continues to pack. Never being one who has many belongings, she packs a small box filled with letters, a small bottle of sand from Gaara and two pictures, one with her and her brothers, the other of her parents. She bundles this up with a cloth, and closes the door to her now vacant room. Bidding her brothers goodbye, she leaves her village.

...

Shikamaru's apartment didn't change. It hasn't, since the last she came, which was two years ago. He just hasn't bothered. He hadn't given the time of the day to redecorate. Missions, nearly six days every week, took over his life. He hadn't rested for two weeks in a row after giving her the letter, dropping it off at the inn. He'd overwork himself until Tsunade ordered him to rest, banning him from missions.

Temari enters, smelling the musty scent of pinewood he always smelt of. The furniture hasn't changed, with a thin layer of dust settling on the cupboards. They don't talk the entire way from the Hokage building after she arrives, and they don't talk now. He shows her to his bedroom, a bed messily made up with a small desk next to it. He shuts the door and leaves, letting her settle down to rest, after the tiring three day journey. Temari noticed the pillow and a blanket hastily strewn on the couch in the living room when she entered, meaning Shikamaru would be sleeping on the couch. She gives a small sigh of relieve and heads to the toilet to clean up and rest.

Shikamaru flops on the couch after he shuts the door to his bedroom. He really doesn't want her here. As much as he needs her, as much as he loves her, he doesn't like her staying, not because of the inconvenience, but because whatever resistance he has built over the years are going to be tested. Seeing her, he wants to break down and tell her everything, but he can't. He's that sorry.

When she wakes for dinner, there's an awkward silence hanging in the air around them. Two years of unspoken tension lingers. They don't say a word to each other, and Shikamaru reckons, sarcastically, this are how newly weds act. After they clean up, she heads to the room and he grabs his keys and heads out, not bothering to leave a note.

...

"Kiba. I can't." Shikamaru sits next to his friend, a confidant he found after Ino and Choji decided to get married. He had wandered around the streets aimlessly after leaving his apartment, finally bumping into Kiba coming out of a restaurant.

"No, you just won't. You can't live like a cowardly bastard forever, either moping with grief or working yourself half dead. Tell her what happened. She'll understand." Kiba grabs the cup of sake from Shikamaru's shaking hands. He's had enough of his whining comrade, and he's not going to bear it any longer.

"Understand? She won't fucking understand. I don't deserve her understanding. How can I tell her I love her, after all that? She deserves someone so much better, Kiba. Do you know how many times I have wondered why she stayed with me? Why she agreed to marry me? If she left me, she would've found so many more suitors, more eligible for her than I would ever be. I'd let her go, as much as I love her, just for a better life. How could I live with her, knowing what I did? I promised myself never to see her again, and never to touch another cup of sake again, but look," he chuckles bitterly, " I'm married. To her. She's married to some undeserving bastard."

Shikamaru drinks his night away, and Kiba, depressed by how his friend is putting himself through so much suffering, never touches a cup. He stays with his friend till two in the morning, until the both of them head home, one sober, the other, drunk. He hauls Shikamaru home, and before he even knocks on the door, it flings open, and a red eyed Temari appears, hair messy and furious.

"I had no idea where he went. No note, no nothing. Is this how I'm supposed to live? Do you know how worried I was? Tsunade-sama said he has no mission whatsoever for three weeks, and suddenly he's gone?" She rubs her eyes, letting Kiba in, relief overwhelming her and putting out her anger.

Kiba hauls Shikamaru into his bedroom. Temari follows, and after Kiba lays his unconscious friend down, he turns to her and smiles wryly.

"Temari-san. Sorry. Usually, he doesn't even go three feet near alcohol, but tonight..." He trails off, motioning to the Nara genius sprawled on the bed.

"It's because of me, isn't it?" She turns to the Inuzuka accusingly. He shrugs. "That's not my story to tell, Temari-san. I have to go now." He leaves without a farewell, and she hears the front door lock shut. She closes the bedroom door and sits beside the sleeping figure. After pulling the sheets over him, she sighs, then finally lies down on the far end of the bed, falling asleep after all the worry she's gone through the whole day.

...

Of course he's going to wake up with a pounding headache. It's inevitable. Shikamaru wakes up to the windows drawn open and the sunlight streaming in, feeling like crap and reeking of alcohol. He swears. He promised himself he would never go near it. He stumbles out of bed and accidentally slams himself into the doorframe to the toilet. This sends Temari running in to check on him.

Shit. Temari. He'd completely forgotten about her.

Without a word she runs up to him and hauls him up. She helps him back to the bed, seeing as he cant even stand up by himself.

"Stay. I'll get you some food." Her words betray her actions, because while she has been tender to him all along, her carefully articulated words are cold as ice.

He's hurt. He deserves it, but it still hurts.

She comes back in and sets a small bowl of soup next to him. She'd been up long enough to go to the market and prepare a meal for the both of them. She leaves and shuts the door, leaving Shikamaru feeling more alone than ever.

...

She wants to cry out loud. Dropping her weary and tired self onto the couch, a tear rolls down her cheek. She's frustrated. Since she was sixteen, she knew she was going to fall hard for this man, three years her junior. She was elated when he asked her to marry him, and now they were, but under different circumstances. Instead of marrying for love, they're on a mission to protect her pride and dignity. As a couple, the only words they've said are less than a strangers'.

It's not only that. She's spent the entire night sleeping in intervals, constantly waking up to check on him. She bites her lip. She's so stupid. Caring for a man she still loves after three years, caring for someone who obviously doesn't care. She curls up on the couch, staring aimlessly at the wall, finally falling asleep after waking up so early.

They wake up to a knock on the door.

Temari instantly gets up, and it takes Shikamaru a moment to look presentable, but they answer it together. An anbu.

"Temari-san. Shikamaru-san. Tsunade-sama wants you at the Hokage building now." He leaves immendiately after he delivers the order.

**A/N** Well this sucks. It's like a filler thing. I'm not sure you guys would want to read this because the future storyline takes a sort of drastic turn, but we'll see how this turns out. Oh and btw does anyone know how to do those divider things? Personally I'm not one for sappy romances, and I like angsty things, so this is how this story turned out. I'm recommending a track to listen to while you read this, or whenever. It's the OST for Naruto Road to Ninja. It's called Rainy Day. I realize by the time you actually read this you would have already finished the whole chapter, so I'm putting it at the top. Just because I have another chapter written out doesn't mean I'll be updating this often. Sorry.


	3. Today Life Turns Drastic

**Small Note** Shijimi-sama is an actual character and she is the wife of the fire daimyo. She has a cat who keeps running away, and it serves as a mission for genins, tracking her cat. Let's assume Shikamaru as one of the unfortunate. Her son, however, is a just a fissure of my imagination. Also. I would like to thank BurningThroughTheSky for the generous amount of help and discussion donated.

**Song Reccomendation : Samidare, by Takanashi Yasuharu**

"Nullify the marriage." Temari stands her ground and looks Tsunade straight in the face. "I will confront him."

Tsunade shakes her head. "No, Temari. That would mean a war waged against ourselves. The daimyo would resign as an act of displeasure. There will be a fight over who would reign supreme. The country will be thrown into chaos, Temari. Even if it is not your own, please regard it as you would your own."

Temari feels shocked. "Tsunade-sama. I- I did not mean that. Konoha is my second home. I would sacrifice myself for this country without a second's delay."

"Unfortunately, in this case, Temari, we don't need you to do that. The Kazekage would not be happy. This, however, he reluctantly agreed to." Tsunade sighed. "Shijimi-san is not happy you rejected her son, Temari. They have done their research." She points to the book that laid open on the table.

Objections regarding inter country or political marriages can be made if the following primary conditions are met. If they are, stated next to it are secondary reasons.

The party objective of the marriage must be of kage or daimyo ranked. An heir is not produced in the span of two years.

Temari scans the page and quickly confirms what Tsunade told her just a few minutes ago.

"Is this valid, Tsunade-sama? I have to bear a child? I am only **twenty-three."** Tsunade sighs and rubs her head with her hands. "I am so, so, sorry Temari.

"Shouldn't I get any say in this?"

Shikamaru, who had been listening to their conversation at the corner of the room, suddenly looks up from where his was leaning against.

Both Temari and Tsunade looks startled.

"Currently, I see no way we can escape this, other than marrying her off to the daimyo's son, which Gaara clearly doesn't want. We'll discuss this ourselves, Tsunade-sama. Give us a day."

With that, he walks out.

...

Temari arrives home fuming mad.

"You left Tsunade-sama just like that? She's still figuring things out, and you rudely walk out just like that? I had to apologise!"

Shikamaru brushes his hair through with his hand and stares straight at her.

"Really, Temari? Who are you to reprimand me? I already have my mom. I was perfectly happy without a wife. Is it that hard for you to place your pride down for the moment? It's what got us into this mess in the first place, isn't it? Is it that hard for you, Temari-sama, to apologise? You should be apologising to me, for dragging me into this," he gestures around him,"fucking mess." All this is said with a calm but clearly cold voice. Shikamaru grabs the key and walks out.

Temari stands there without a word, staring right into the window directly in front of her. She stares and stares, unconsciously dropping to the floor, silent tears streaming down and wetting the carpeted floor.

'He's right. He is fucking right.'

...

Shikamaru knows he's being harsh. He is silently sorry as he treads down the rocky paths, but he face betrays no emotions. It's for her own good, he think. With nothing to do, he walks into Ino's shop.

"Shikamaru! How are you?" Ino asks as she bustles around the shop arranging flowers.

"Not fine. Tch." They haven't seen each other in a long while, but Ino was fully aware of his...circumstance.

"Oh, dear," she puts down her flower pot and gestures at him. "Come to the back room." Pregnancy had made a positively glowing Ino somewhat mellow. She was suddenly sweet and demure - Shikamaru wondered how long that would last.

He walks into a small doorway, flipping aside the noren, and it reveals a small room cosily decorated.

"How is she, Shikamaru? I heard, but I never did think it was that serious." Ino looks concern, more than she ever did. He sighs and takes a seat.

"Fine, she's fine. She hasn't changed. I have. I can't bear to even look at her. She doesn't deserve this." He groans and buries his head in his hands.

Ino looks at him, not unkindly. "Shikamaru, I would like you two to stop torturing yourselves and come clean with each other so you can happily get married and stay happy. And not come to me with problems that are easily solvable, not that I mind it."

He mutters while head down, and it comes out muffled. "Inoooo..."

"The answer is simple. I can't help you anymore than I already have." At this moment the door chime rings. "I've got to go. Settle your own issues like a man, Shikamaru. She's not going to know why unless you tell her."

...

Temari is sleeping by the time Shikamaru returns. She is on the couch, and tear marks streak her face.

I'm so sorry.

He gently lifts her up and carries her to his bed and pulls the sheets over her. She shifts and mumbles, then falls silent. He leaves her and heads to get his own rest.

After she's made sure he left, Temari gets up. Of course she knows she's being carried. Years and years of intensive training has led her to be on guard. A pin drop would wake her up.

God, what he's done... I'm so confused...

...

The next day starts with no greeting, no remnant of last night except for the simple line uttered by Shikamaru.

"I will find a loophole."

Temari proceeds to make breakfast and they finish it silently, Shikamaru cleaning up and then grabbing the keys, stopping only to say "I'm going to the grocers."

It sounds like a statement, but Temari knows it's an invitation. She follows.

They walk down they streets together, not unlike how they did what seemed like many many years ago, but it was different now. The gap between them was no further, but their situation now were so different.

They get stares, but it doesn't bother them. One man does, however.

"Temari-san, Nara-san. I heard about your marriage. Congratulations."

They walked straight into the path of Koizumi Isamu, the man who had started all of this.

Honestly, thinks Temari, his mother couldn't have gave him a worse fitting the same age as her, Isamu was a tall, thinly built and good looking man, but his personality couldn't have been more different. He was obnoxious and arrogant, a man Temari had every displeasure of knowing. Unfortunately, he was also the son of the fire daimyo. Today, it seemed, he was walking around Konoha with his entourage of followers.

Shikamaru has heard about him from Tsunade, and noticing Temari fingers curling into a fist at an alarming rate, he shifts closer to her and slips his fingers around hers. Her face was distorted for a moment, but returns to normal after a flash of a second.

"Thank you, Koizumi-sama. We are happy. Tell me, how is Shijimi-sama doing?" Shikamaru looks him right in the face, taking away his attention from Temari.

"She's fine. Maybe a little unhappy at recent events," he glances at Temari," but fine nonetheless. The cat is fine, too, if you're wondering." He face contorts into a rather twisted smile. "However, this is not why I'm here. I am here to congratulate you on your happiest of marriages. What a union. It must be so beneficial to both hidden villages."

"You already congratulated us. What do you want?" Temari grits her teeth and steps toward but Shikamaru pulls her back and squeezes her hand.

"I seem to reckon that there may be some problems with your marriage. And oh, at such an early stage!"

Temari seethes. "What do you mean?"

He laughs. "Oh, a little drama. Some crying, some arguing. Am I wrong? Have you started on conceiving an heir?"

Now it's Shikamaru's turn to get angry. "You've been spying on us."

**A/N** I'm so afraid that this is so extravagant and not possible and I'm so sorry if I've let you down. I'm also very afraid that the ending will be fickle and cliché I am so very afraid. Also someone has pointed out this is very slow paced, so I'm really sorry about that. I think it comes from my personality, so please bear with it till I improve, but thank you to all who reviewed!

Ps. Review? Please?


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